Why every woman on your TV screen is wearing the same hairstyle.

It’s the one main hairstyle women wear on our TV screens. And it doesn’t discriminate – Netflix, news programs, soapies, reality TV, international TV, Australian TV – they’ve all been stamped by this ubiquitous trend.

If you’re scratching your head right now – stop, go with it. Because we’ve got plenty of evidence right here. Yes, that’s Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) in Parks and Recreation sporting the style.

Image: Parks and Recreation.

It was seen allllll through Pitch Perfect 2.

Image: Pitch Perfect 2.

Advertisement

It’s debatable, but TV presenter Rebecca Judd could have invented the trend.

Image: Channel 9.

Lisa Wilkinson's glossy head of hair is primped into the 'do almost every morning on the Today show.

Image: Channel 9.

The New Girl's Jess always added an adorkable edge to her 'do, but it's still the same old formula.

Image: The New Girl.

And there’s rarely a The Bachelor episode where 100 per cent of contestants aren’t curling tonged to perfection.

Image: Channel 10.

There’s no way to describe it other than a hair phenomenon. But why exactly is it that this particular hairstyle has achieved global TV domination?

According to Racked, who interviewed hair department head for film and television, Cynthia Vanis (she's worked on shows like Law & Order: SVU, Younger and Louie), it helps with continuity in scenes.

"Straight hair moves a lot, and if one piece is out of place, you can totally tell. You can cheat easier when there's more movement within the hair,” Vanis explains.

"It opens up the face. You can have your hair down without it hanging directly over your eyes, which is the biggest criticism every director has: 'Can we get her hair out of her face?' You curl the hair back, and it's automatically opening up the face and especially the profile, which is the hardest thing to shoot on a woman with her hair down." (Post continues after gallery.)

Not only that, but it’s a style that can suit almost everyone, whether you’ve got short or long hair. Plus, it walks that fine line between looking effortless and yet still appearing put-together enough to pique our interest.

"There's a little bit of fantasy that comes in on television because everything looks distorted from what it looks like to your normal eye,” Vanis told Racked. (Watch Bec Judd create the hairstyle. Post continues after video.)

“You might be like, 'Wow, that hair looks crazy, why is there so much height in the crown?' in person, and then you look on a camera screen and it's like, 'That looks normal.' There's a weird distortion that happens between fantasy life and real life, and you're bridging that gap between a relatable quality and looking presentable on TV."